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The Moveable Blues

by Dix Bruce

One of the most important things you need to learn to do on the mandolin is to transpose a lick or melody from one key to another. While the process can be confusing at first, once you do it a few times, you'll be able to play anything in any key with ease.

I approach transposing a melody in one of two general ways: either 1) string to string, or 2) up and down the fingerboard with all fretted (no open string) notes.

If a melody is contained on two or three strings, with or without open string notes, it can usually be moved to an adjacent set of two or three strings. Here's an excerpt from "No Name Rag" from my "You Can Teach Yourself Mandolin" book.

Example 1 is in the key of G and the first note is the third string, fifth fret G. The small numbers between the standard notation and tablature staves are fretting finger numbers. The arrows show pick direction. Memorize the passage and the position your fretting hand defines. The key to transposing, both string to string and up and down the fingerboard, lies in memorizing both a melody and its accompanying hand position. From there it's a simple process of moving the position intact to a different set of strings or frets.

Listen to [Ex 1 G]

Once you can play this passage from memory, try moving the position "over" one string so that your first note is the second string, fifth fret D. Use your memory of the position from ex 1 and try playing it before you look at the written version below. The moved melody will be in the key of D. Cool, huh?

Listen to [Ex 2 D]

Look again at the original melody in example 1. Try moving it again, this time in the "other direction," so that your first note is the fourth string, fifth fret C. Try to play the melody here using your position memory before you look at the written version below.

Listen to [Ex 3 C]

Practice transposing from string to string on other simple two and three string melodies that you have memorized. I've written out several exercises like this for a new book I'm working on entitled "Getting Into Bluegrass Mandolin." If you're a guitar player in addition to being a mandolinist, you'll appreciate how much easier transposition is on the mandolin.

I've posted several downloadable mandolin tunes you might enjoy on my website in the "Newsletter" section.

Dix Bruce has written forty books, CDs and videos for Mel Bay Publications. His latest two mandolin book/CD sets are "Great Mandolin Pickin' Tunes" and "First Lessons Mandolin." He edited David Grisman's "Mandolin World News" from 1978 to 1984. Dix records and tours with guitarist Jim Nunally. Their latest CD, "Brothers at Heart," is a collection of traditional and new music performed in the classic "brother duet" vocal and instrumental style. All are available on Dix's website: www.musixnow.com

© 2004 by Dix Bruce